Cornell has officially debuted three new wine grapes - Noiret, Corot Noir and Valvin Muscat - which are broadly adapted to the wine-growing regions in the American East and produce high-quality varietal wines that are superior to those currently available to eastern growers.

The grapes were grown and tested by Bruce Reisch, Professor of Horticultural Sciences at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., with Thomas Henick-Kling, Professor of Enology at the Experiment Station and leader of Cornell's Enology Program, says a media release issued by the university.

The grapes were released at the 31st annual conference and symposium of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture/Eastern Section in Rochester, N.Y.

"Both Noiret and Corot Noir represent distinct improvements in the red wine varietal options available to cold-climate grape growers," Reisch said. "Wines are free of the hybrid aromas typical of many other red hybrid grapes."

Noiret is richly coloured and has notes of green and black pepper, with raspberry and mint aromas and a fine tannin structure, Reisch said. Corot Noir, he added, can be used for varietal wine production or for blending. The distinctive red wine has a deep red colour and attractive berry and cherry fruit aromas.

Valvin Muscat is a mid-season white wine grape with a distinctive muscat flavor and aroma that is desirable for blending as well as for varietal wines.

With these varieties, which are trademarked, the Experiment Station now has nine wine grapes on its rolls. The previous Cornell releases are: Melody, Horizon, Cayuga White (grown widely throughout New York and beyond), Chardonel ( Missouri's No. 2 grape), Traminette (which is quickly gaining in popularity throughout the American East) and GR7 (used in red wine blends).

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